hagel could be confirmed as early as this wednesday. >> peter alexander at the white house tonight. peter, thanks. >>> almost thankfully we at least get to talk about the weather, even though it is a massive blizzard churning its way across this country tonight. watches and warnings are up in several states, many already hard-hit. now facing what is shaping up to be another record-breaker in some parts. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel joins us from wichita, kansas tonight. hey, mike. good evening. >> hey, good evening, brian. all or parts of 20 states tonight into wednesday are under some type of winter weather warning or advisory. it stretches from texas to maine. meanwhile, this morning the plains got hit hard by howling wind and blinding snow. the storm hit hard in the predawn hours in the texas panhandle. >> oh, my god, dude. >> reporter: 2 to 3-inch per hour snowfall rates and snowfall gusts clocked in amarillo. the national weather service called it a crippling, historic blizzard. >> we're going to step outside and let you see what it's like so far. >> more than a fo